Even towards the end of summer eight percent of adults and 13 percent of adolescents remain deficient.
While many individuals with vitamin D deficiency are asymptomatic, there are a number of signs that could suggest insufficient levels of this important vitamin.
Claire Barnes, MBANT, Registered Nutritionist at Bio-Kult, shared what to look out for.
1. Fatigue
Self-reported tiredness and low energy have been linked to low vitamin D status.
Claire said: “A recent review of studies suggests that supplementing with vitamin D may have a significant effect on reducing fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (an autoimmune condition which results in a number of symptoms, with fatigue being the most common).”
2. Low mood
Increased vitamin D receptors are present in areas of the brain associated with mood regulation, said Claire.
She explained: “Studies have shown that individuals who suffer with depression appear to have lower levels of vitamin D compared to healthy individuals. Interestingly, those with the lowest levels of vitamin D appear to have the greatest risk of depression. Additionally, clinical trials have shown improvements in depression levels when supplementing with vitamin D.”
3. Poor oral health
While many are aware of the importance of calcium for healthy teeth, less are aware that optimum vitamin D levels are necessary for calcium absorption.
Claire said: “In fact, vitamin D plays a key role in bone and tooth mineralisation and having good vitamin D levels appears to be associated with better oral development and health throughout life. On the-other-hand, vitamin D deficiency has been highly implicated with oral diseases.”
4. Bone and muscle aches and pain
Vitamin D is most well-known for its role in musculoskeletal health.
Claire said: “As mentioned above, low vitamin D levels cause a decline in calcium absorption, which in turn can trigger the release of parathyroid hormone, which promotes bone resorption and eventually, bone loss or softening.
“The causes of muscle pain can be varied. However, evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency could be a potential cause. Results from a review of studies which included over 3,000 participants suggest that vitamin D supplementation could have a role in the management of chronic pain.”
5. Often feeling ill
Vitamin D also plays an important role in modulating the immune system, and most cells of the immune system express a vitamin D receptor.
Claire said: “In fact, there is considerable scientific evidence that vitamin D has a variety of effects on immune system function. Conversely, vitamin D deficiency may dysregulate the immune system and can lead to either immune suppression or an inappropriate heightened immune reaction.”
6. Digestive issues
One role of vitamin D which people are perhaps less aware of is its importance for gut health.
Claire said: “Research shows that an optimal vitamin D status plays an important role in maintaining balance within the gut via many regulatory activities, including modulating the gut microbiota. Vitamin D supplementation has shown to lead to a reduction in harmful bacteria and an increase in friendly bacterial richness in the upper digestive tract. Recent studies also demonstrate that live bacteria supplements could in return increase vitamin D receptor expression and activity, leading to an increase in host vitamin D levels.”
How to increase levels of vitamin D, according to Claire
Spend time outside – Vitamin D is synthesised in the skin upon exposure to sunlight and is then metabolised in the liver and kidneys to the metabolically active form. Ensuring some time outdoors (a minimum of 15 minutes each day) with the face, arms and/or legs exposed (ideally without sun-cream) is therefore important. However, in the UK, from October through to early April, UV radiation from the sun is not strong enough for the skin to synthesise adequate amounts of vitamin D.
Eat vitamin D foods – Only a limited number of foods naturally contain vitamin D. Good sources include fish, egg yolk, and offal such as liver. Some foods such as milk are fortified with vitamin D in some countries. Encouraging intake of these foods may therefore be beneficial. However, dietary intake recommendations are generally too low to preserve/reach optimal vitamin D concentrations when UV radiation is not available.
Supplement vitamin D – Supplementation is recommended during the winter months. The appropriate dose for each individual will depend on whether they are simply looking to maintain adequate levels through the winter months, or whether a deficiency needs rectifying (where higher levels may be needed). It is recommended to test your vitamin D levels before supplementing, especially if using high doses.
Support the gut microbiome – In light of the synergism between vitamin D and the gut-microbiota, researchers have noted that it may be beneficial to combine vitamin D with live bacteria supplements. Therefore, choosing a live bacteria supplement with added vitamin D could be a sensible and convenient choice. Bio-Kult Brighten (RRP: £20.98 www.bio-kult.com) contains 14 different strains of live bacteria, with the addition of vitamin D3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, zinc and magnesium.
UV lamps – UV lamps which produce ultraviolet radiation similar to sunlight can also produce vitamin D3 in the skin and could potentially be especially useful during the winter months. However, it is important to bear in mind that UV lamps can also increase DNA damage and nitric oxide production in the skin, therefore choose one which demonstrates optimal vitamin D3 production with lower DNA damage and nitric oxide production.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
